Awake and Dreaming
by sashsweetie
Summary: A nightmare of Cameron's builds a relationship between her and Thirteen. Camteen/Cadley.
1. Awake and Dreaming

Cameron shot up in bed, fighting for air, disoriented as echoes of her silent screams reverberated around her skull. Wrapping her arms around herself, she rocked gently back and forth as a few tears ventured slowly down her cheeks. _It was just a dream_, she realised. She tried to calm down, slowing her breathing as she ran a shaky hand through her hair. She'd been having nightmares a lot lately, ever since she'd split with Chase a couple of months before. Horrible dreams in which she lost the people she knew and cared about over and over again. She reached for the glass of water beside her bed, sipping at it quietly before lying back down against the pillows. It took her a long while to fall back to sleep.

**The Next Day**

Cameron had her nose deep in a file as she wandered out of the nursing station only to crash directly into Thirteen. "Thirteen!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention." She apologised profusely, avoiding the younger woman's gaze.

"No worries," Thirteen grinned at her. "I was looking for you, actually. House didn't have anything for me to do so he sent me up here to 'bother' you. Need some help?"

Cameron smiled awkwardly. "That would be great." She tried to turn away from the woman who had haunted her dreams the night before.

Thirteen frowned. "Um, are you alright?" The older doctor was usually quite friendly towards her. Cameron nodded, not meeting her eye. Thirteen rolled her eyes and stuck out a finger to raise Cameron's chin, forcing her to meet her eyes. "What's up?" she questioned. "What horrible rumour is House spreading about me this time? It's no big deal, you know. You can just tell me and we'll laugh about it."

Cameron shook her head slowly. "It's nothing like that. It's silly, really."

"Try me." Thirteen crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow in expectancy.

"It's just….dreams…." Cameron mumbled, trying to turn away again.

"Dreams? About me?" Thirteen was surprised.

Cameron sighed. "Nightmares. I have them a lot. Last night I had one about you."

"Huh." Thirteen pondered a moment. "Can I hear it?" she was interested to see what made Cameron so awkward around her. The woman was pretty self-assured.

Cameron frowned at her. "It's kind of morbid and stuff."

"What time do you get off?"

"Ten."

"We're going for drinks and you're telling me about this…nightmare of yours." Thirteen announced. "I'm interested."

Cameron looked unsure. "Alright, I guess." She nodded. "Well, let's get to work in the mean time." She loosened up a little, smiling at Thirteen.

**That Night**

Thirteen waved as Cameron crossed the lobby towards her. "Hey!"

Cameron smiled. "Hey. Where are we going?"

Thirteen shrugged in return. "Preferences?" she questioned. "There are some good places near by."

"Anywhere with good cider." Cameron informed her. "Lead the way." They wandered out of the hospital and towards the nearby streets.

Half an hour later they were both happily drinking pints of cider in a cozy little pub.

"I've never been here before," Cameron smiled gently at Thirteen. "It's nice."

"It reminds me of the pubs I went to in England." Thirteen grinned. "Cheap, cheerful. They often have decent live music, too."

"Nice!" Thirteen was surprised that Cameron actually sounded enthusiastic about the concept. Cheap drinks and live bands didn't fit with the doctor's work persona. Thirteen pushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

"So tell me about this dream of yours."

Cameron looked into her pint of cider and then up into Thirteen's face. Thirteen was surprised to see pain and fear there. "Are you sure? Like I said, it's morbid…I don't want to ruin the evening."

"You won't." Thirteen assured her.

Cameron sighed. "I was outside a room with a glass wall, looking in. You were inside. You had pills, alcohol, and razor blades. You were taking all the pills, chasing them with the drink. There were so many pills. I was banging on the glass, yelling, but you couldn't hear me. You slit your wrists. I was screaming but no-one came and I couldn't get to you. You passed out and started seizing and there was nothing I could do except stand there and watch and scream. That's when I woke up." She looked silently into her drink, afraid to look up.

"Scary." Thirteen commented.

Cameron nodded. "I guess maybe I'm afraid that one day, because of your Huntington's…" she trailed off.

Thirteen smiled, laying a hand gently on top of the other doctor's. Cameron was the only person who was open about her disease with her. "Cameron, I'm not going to say I don't have destructive ways of coping at times, because that would obviously be a total lie, but I can promise you that I would never intentionally harm myself, no matter how bad things get. It's not who I am. Okay?"

Cameron looked up into her blue eyes and smiled. "Okay."

"You'll stop worrying?"

"I'll try."

"Good." Thirteen finished her last swig of cider. "Now finish that up while I get us another round!" she gestured to Cameron's drink. Cameron smiled and gulped the last couple inches of her pint while she waited for her co-worker to return. She couldn't help but like Thirteen for her screw-the-world attitude. The woman was a total hardass at first, but if you got to know her she was a softie underneath. If you ever got to know her. Cameron suspected that few got that far.

Thirteen returned moments later and pushed another pint towards Cameron.

"Thank God I'm working night shift tomorrow!" Cameron lifted her glass to meet Thirteen's. "Cheers!"

"I have tomorrow off." Thirteen smiled. "A good opportunity to make a night of it, I think." She raised her eyebrows at Dr. Cameron, who shrugged.

"Why not?"

By the time the bar closed, Thirteen had convinced Cameron to crash at her place, given it's closeness and king size bed. Cameron wasn't really in a state to argue at that point, so they swayed their way back to Thirteen's apartment, giggling wildly. "You're fun!" Thirteen announced, whirling Cameron around in her living room. They'd turned on some music and were enjoying being ridiculous.

"You didn't think I was fun, Thirteen?" Cameron raised her eyebrows in challenge.

"Not at all, I'm just confirming the point. And call me Remy. Numbers are stupid." Remy collapsed onto her sofa.

"Good. Because I can be a lot of fun." Cameron sat down beside her. "And if I'm gonna call you Remy, I think you need to call me Ally. Remy and Ally. That rhymes sort of. At least, they both end in 'y'." Allison giggled drunkenly.

Remy raised her eyebrows and wandered to the sink for glasses of water, passing one to her drunken friend. "You're kind of adorable." Remy pointed out.

"Nah." Allison shook her head. "Just a dork. Things amuse me that don't amuse normal people."

Remy rolled her eyes. "We're all nerds, Ally. We're _doctors_!"

"Fair point." Ally agreed, yawning. Remy stood and pulled her up, too.

"Bed time!" She dug through her drawers to find an extra pair of pyjama pants and a t-shirt, tossing them to Ally. "Bathroom is there." She gestured in the general direction and Ally wandered off to change. Remy shook her head in amusement. She was very different outside of work, that was for sure!

**Later on**

Ally flailed for almost a minute before Remy could wake her. "Shhh." She comforted as Ally bolted upright, tears streaming down her face. Remy wrapped her arms around the other woman, not knowing how to comfort her. Ally clung to her, sobbing.

"An accident." Ally whispered once she'd calmed down a little. "We all got infected. House couldn't work it out in time. It got into the ventilation system. One by one…" she trailed off, burying her head in Remy's neck. Remy hugged her more tightly.

"It's just a dream, Ally. They're all just dreams." She pulled Ally back down on the bed, keeping an arm around her. Ally picked up her hand and laced their fingers together.

"Thanks, Remy." She murmured, cuddling into the other woman until she drifted off again.

It was Remy's turn not to sleep that night.

**Next Morning**

Remy woke to the sunlight, her arm still wrapped around Ally, who hadn't yet opened her eyes and was still breathing deeply. She gently disentangled herself long enough to use the washroom and take a long drink of water and then gingerly climbed back into the bed and put her arm over Ally, burrowing her face into the other woman's hair to shield her from the light.

Ally woke some time later, rolling over to find Remy asleep. Smiling, she cuddled up under the other woman's arm, pulling the blanket further up over herself, and went back to sleep.

She woke again to Remy watching her.

"Hey there." Remy grinned.

Ally blushed, remembering briefly that she had woken in the night from a dream. "I dreamed last night." She commented sleepily. Remy nodded. "Thanks." She murmured gently, taking the other woman's hand.

"No worries." They lay in silence for a while, Ally eventually extracting herself from the blankets to use the washroom and find some water. She returned to a cup of coffee on the bedside table. She climbed back in beside Remy, who was sipping on her own mug.

"Thanks!" she grinned, taking her own.

They spent most of the day in bed watching movies.

**Late Afternoon**

"I should head home and change before work." Ally sighed as they finished off their third film of the day. Remy wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Probably a good idea." She propped her head up on her arm as she looked up at Ally. "This was fun though, we should do it again sometime."

Ally grinned. "Definitely!" she climbed out of Thirteen's bed and grabbed her pile of clothes, heading for the bathroom.

Remy sighed, realising she should probably do something with the rest of her day off. Like eating something. She ventured to her fridge, opening it in the hope of finding some form of sustenance. Sighing again, she looked in both the freezer and her cupboards with no luck. From across the room she heard a chuckle and turned around.

"No food?" Ally tipped her head to the side, laughing. "I often have that problem myself."

Remy nodded. "Somehow it just seems easier to order in." she closed the cupboard and mad her way towards Ally. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Mmm hmm." Ally grabbed her purse and left the apartment, Remy closing the door behind her. Who knew she would end up being friends with Allison Cameron? She shook her head in wonder.


	2. God Put A Smile Upon Your Face

**A few weeks later…**

Ally meandered into the doctor's lounge, raising a hand to suppress a yawn. "Hey, you." She tossed in Remy's direction as she bee-lined for the coffee machine.

"Hi Ally" Remy smiled, raising her eyes from the file she was reading. "Oh, could you pour me a cup, too?" she begged, seeing what Ally was up to.

"Sure. How do you take it?" Ally poured a second mug.

"Black."

"Mmm. The only way to drink coffee." Ally sat down beside her on the couch, handing her a mug of the steaming liquid.

"I know, right?" Remy grinned, putting her file to the side and propping her feet up on the table in front of her. Ally sipped her own drink quietly. "I wish it would stop raining" Remy gestured to the window behind them, frowning. "I was hoping to go running tomorrow, and I _hate_ the rain."

"That's why I have a treadmill." Ally informed her. "But I know what you mean; I'd like to get out for a ride in the park or something at some point. The treadmill is boring."

Remy's eyes lit up. "You ride?" she questioned. "We should go some time, weather and time permitting."

Ally nodded. "That would be great. Actually, I have Saturday off if it works for you." She raised her eyebrows at the other woman.

"I'm working Friday night, but maybe in the afternoon?" Remy considered her schedule.

"I'm on Friday night as well."

"Cool. Saturday's a date then!" Remy smiled happily, then blushed as she realised the implication of her statement. Cameron raised an eyebrow.

"A date, eh, Remy?" she grinned, teasing the other woman. She sighed as her pager went off at her hip. "Well, it looks like the ER won't function without me for more than 10 minutes." She stood up and stretched. "See you around!" she winked at the younger doctor.

"Bye." Remy groaned and picked up her file again. What House expected her to find in this particular patient's history was beyond her comprehension.

**Friday Night**

"Apparently we require a consult."

Ally turned to find an amused-looking Remy behind her and an eyebrow shot up. "Is that so?"

"House specifically stated that he required your services and that should you not come with me, he will come up and get you himself, which will not be a pleasant experience, I shouldn't think."

Ally rolled her eyes and called to another doctor "I'm on a consult. Page me if you need me." She grinned at Remy. "All right, let's see what House wants." They headed towards his office.

"Are we still on for tomorrow?" Remy questioned as they made their way down the stairs. Ally nodded.

"Absolutely. 1? 2?"

"Let's go with 2." Remy suggested. "I like my sleep."

"Sounds good. I'll pick you up since I know where your apartment is." Ally winked and pushed open the doors to House's office. "What do you want?" she demanded, crossing her arms.

"The patient has something wrong with his immune system" House whined. "You're the immunologist."

"So you basically need someone to be nice to the patient to get information out of him." She deduced.

"Er…Actually, the patient is a woman." Kutner announced from the corner.

"But essentially, yes." House ignored the other man's comment.

"I can be nice to patients." Taub complained.

"Yeah, but Cameron is a better doctor" House informed him bluntly. "And since she _ditched_ me, I now have to drag her down here all the way from the ER." He glared at her in mock severity.

Thirteen rolled her eyes. "Let's go." she murmured under her breath.

"Yeah" Cameron followed her out of the room. "I'll never understand why he hired those two." She shook her head.

"Me neither." Remy agreed, chuckling. "I think he just likes having someone to fight with."

Ally grinned "Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest." Remy stopped outside of a room and handed her the file.

"Enjoy" She winked, "and I'll see you in a bit." Ally smiled and headed into the patient's room.

**Saturday Afternoon**

"Hey, Ally!" Remy pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she opened the door.

"Hi!" Ally walked past her and into the apartment. Remy was surprised to see she was wearing workout gear. Fitted workout gear. She smiled to herself. Ally should wear fitted clothing more often, in her opinion. "Ready to go?" Ally questioned her, waving a hand in front of her face.

Remy blushed. "Sorry, zoned out there for a minute. I just need to get my bike from the basement." She grabbed her keys and wallet from the table beside the door and headed out of it. Ally followed her, grinning as though she knew exactly what had been running through Remy's mind moments beforehand.

A few minutes later, they were both on bikes headed for the park. "Look, the sun came out" Ally gestured to the sky overhead.

Remy nodded, a gentle smile crossing her face.

It took them about an hour to get to the park and bike around it, taking the time to enjoy watching young couples walking hand in hand and mothers with children playing by the water's edge. Then they lay in a patch of sun, enjoying the rare spring warmth of the late afternoon. Ally rolled onto her stomach and looked up at Remy. "I'm hungry." She announced plaintively.

"Me too. Want to locate food?"

"I was thinking pizza and beer and my place" Ally smiled up at her. "We aren't too far away."

"Works for me! Do we need to pick up beer?" Remy questioned, sitting up and dusting grass from her back.

Ally raised an eyebrow. "Not unless you think we can get through more than 24 bottles in one evening."

Remy chuckled. "I think we're in the clear." She offered a hand to Ally as she got to her feet, pulling her up alongside. "You lead." She directed.

Ally led her out of the park and onto a small side street that wound its way through an older neighbourhood until they reached her building. "This one's mine", she spoke shyly as she led Remy through the yard, which was obviously well cared for, and then the stairs.

"It's cute." Remy smiled, and indeed it was. Cameron's new apartment was in an old stone building made up of four flats.

"The downstairs neighbours are really sweet. They have two little kids who like to play in the garden." She spoke wistfully. "I babysit them sometimes."

Remy snorted. "When do you have time for that?" she half-joked.

Cameron blushed. "Oh, you know. Just when their mom wants a bit of time to herself or to run errands or something and I'm at home." She opened the door onto her apartment. "Sorry it's messy."

Remy waved her apology away as she wandered into Ally's place. "It's gorgeous." The old apartment had hardwood floors and beautiful molding around the ceilings and floors. Ally blushed again, choosing to head into the kitchen to find beer while Remy explored her apartment. The aforementioned appeared in the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Any preferences on pizza?" Ally questioned, passing her a beer and a flyer for the local pizza place. Remy shook her head, taking a swig of the beer.

"Not really."

"This one's great." Ally wandered over and pointed out something involving thinly sliced potatoes, sundried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts. "And I have ice cream and cookies for dessert!" she said happily.

Remy grinned. "You really are just adorable." She poked the older woman in the side. Ally just blushed and decided to busy herself with calling the pizza place. Remy laughed at her, rolling her eyes. "It's a complement, Ally" she protested.

Some time and a few beers later, they were seated cross-legged on Ally's floor, munching pizza off the coffee table.

"Yum." Ally drunkenly laid her head on Remy's shoulder. Remy played with her hair lazily.

"Sleepy?" she asked.

"A bit. I was dreaming again today."

"Good dreams or bad dreams?"

Ally sighed. "Bad ones. Wilson died in a car accident."

Remy pondered this silently for a moment. "Have you considered talking to someone about this?" she asked tentatively.

Ally shook her head. "They're just dreams. It's fine."

"Okay…" Remy trailed off. Ally had sounded pretty adamant. They went back to sitting in silence, Remy playing with Ally's hair comfortably.

"Remy?" Ally asked after a while, her head still resting comfortably on the other woman's shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Would you want to…." She paused. "…to stay over?"

Remy was stunned for a moment before grinning. She turned to Ally. "Allison Cameron, are you inviting me to sleep with you?"

Ally turned beet red. "…Yes?" she mumbled.

Remy looked ecstatic. "Of course I want to stay over, you dork." She hugged Ally tightly.

Ally was confused. "You like me?"

Remy rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"

Ally looked at the floor. "I've never liked a woman before, so…I wasn't sure." She finished lamely.

Remy grinned. "And here I thought you were straight."

Ally grinned back, a little more confident. "If it helps, I did too."

**The Next Morning**

The next morning consisted mostly of the two of them stumbling around sleepily, Ally trying to get to work for 8 am, Remy trying to figure out how to make the espresso machine function. Eventually she gave up, muttering, and decided to clean up the beer bottles from the night before and wait for Ally to get out of the shower to get her coffee.

Half an hour later, armed with to-go mugs, they climbed into Ally's car. "See you in a couple of hours." Remy hugged her as Ally dropped her outside her apartment. Ally smiled gently.

"See you soon, Remy."

Remy grinned. She loved how Ally was the only person in the city to call her by her first name. "Bye." She shut the door and headed into the apartment complex to get herself organised for the day.

"Bye" Ally murmured to the closed door as she watched Remy make her way into the building. She wasn't sure where all of this was going, but she certainly knew that she was enjoying it. With that thought in her mind and a smile on her face, Ally drove off towards the hospital.


	3. She's Falling Apart

_A/N: I've received the comment that this story is out of character for these two. I'll admit I've only watched a few of last season's episodes and so don't really know how the characters act or interact. However, many people seem to be enjoying the story anyways, so I'm just going to continue it as is anyway! It doesn't follow the storyline of the season. _

**Two months or so later**

Ally opened her eyes to the morning light and smiled, rolling over in bed to face Remy. Only to find she wasn't there. Stretching, she sat up sleepily. "Remy?" she called out. No answer. "Remy?" she couldn't hear the shower, she didn't smell coffee. Worried, Ally climbed out of bed and wandered into the living room to find Remy on the couch. "There you are." She smiled, leaning over to kiss Remy's head gently. Remy lifted her head to reveal a tear-stained face. Ally was shocked. Remy never cried. "What happened?" she asked softly, sitting down beside her on the sofa.

Remy shook her head. "Nothing happened." She leaned into Ally, who wrapped an arm around her.

"What's up?" Ally asked gently, playing with Remy's hair gently.

Remy looked up at her with incredible sadness in her eyes. "We shouldn't be doing this, Ally." She whispered. "_I_ shouldn't be doing this. I'm _dying_. I'm dying slowly, horribly. I've…" she swallowed. "I've watched this disease progress." She shook her head. "I don't want you to hate me like I hated her."

Ally hugged her to her chest. "I'm not going to hate you." She murmured into Remy's hair. "This disease isn't your fault. How could I hate you for something that isn't your fault?"

"It didn't stop me."

"You were a child. I was 21 when I watched my husband die of cancer."

Remy snuggled into her chest. "I knew it wasn't her fault. I just didn't care" she said bleakly.

"You were busy coping with growing up, fitting in. She interfered with that." Ally said rationally. Remy nodded. Ally stuck a finger under her chin and lifted it until Remy's blue eyes met her own. "I'm here by choice, Remy. I knew your diagnosis before we started this. I'm not going to hate you and I'm not going anywhere."

Remy smiled shakily. "Okay." They held each other in silence for a while.

"Do you want some coffee?" Ally asked, disentangling herself from around her girlfriend.

"Please." Remy was still quiet. Ally kissed her sweetly before making her way into the kitchen and starting up the espresso machine. Remy pinched her nose, trying to rid herself of her constant headache. She knew what Ally said was true, but that didn't change the fact that she was going to start degenerating, and probably soon. "Thanks." She murmured as Ally handed her a cup of coffee. Ally gave her her silence, sipping on her own drink in silence and allowing Remy to think.

"I'm having headaches." Remy admitted some time later.

"Do you think it's a side effect of the drug treatment?" Ally asked, worried again.

"I'm going to ask Foreman this afternoon. House wants him to test my vision."

"Why? What's wrong with your vision?" Ally questioned, fear evident in her voice.

"Fuzzy edges." Thirteen mumbled.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Ally cried out. Remy took her hand.

"I didn't want to worry you if nothing is wrong."

"Well, evidently something is wrong." Ally snapped, taking her hand away. Remy looked at her lap. She hadn't realised that not telling Ally would hurt her more than telling her.

"I'm sorry." She murmured.

Ally cupped her check with a hand. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. You're just so secretive sometimes. It scares me."

"I just…didn't want to hurt you." Remy bit her lip.

Ally smiled at her fondly. "If this is going to work, you need to tell me things."

Remy nodded. "I know that now."

**Later that Day**

"He's taking me off the drug" Remy told Ally, who was waiting for her as she exited the trial site. "He thinks it may be what's causing the problem."

"Good." Ally smiled, taking her hand and kissing it.

**A few days later…**

"It's a tumour" Foreman whispered, looking Remy in the eye. "I gave you a tumour by switching you from the placebo."

"You gave me a chance by switching me off the placebo." Remy sat down in the chair nearest to her.

"I'm so sorry, Remy."

She eyed him severely. "Don't be."

**That Night**

"Ally?" Remy called shrilly from the living room. Ally came running to find her bleeding on the floor.

"Oh my God, what happened?"

Remy turned in the direction of her voice. "I can't see."

**The Next Day**

"You look exhausted." Ally turned to find Foreman standing at the door.

"Hi" she said tiredly, still stroking Remy's hand.

"How's she doing?" he took a seat in the chair next to the bed.

"We won't know until she wakes up." Ally smiled wanly.

"Want to grab a coffee or something? I'll sit with her." He offered. Ally nodded. She knew how badly Foreman felt about this whole situation.

"Yeah." She kissed Remy's forehead and stood up, wandering out of the room to leave Foreman with her girlfriend.

"I'm so sorry." He murmured to the sleeping woman. "I didn't know. I thought I was helping you."

"You were helping me." Remy's eyes fluttered open. "Hey, Foreman." She smiled. "I can see you." Her eyes flicked around the room. "Where's Ally?"

Foreman smiled. "I sent her to get some coffee. I'm sure she'll be back as soon as humanely possible."

"Okay." Remy closed her eyes again, content. Ally came back into the room minutes later with two cups of coffee. "Ally!" Remy sat up.

"You can see?" Ally whispered, passing one of the cups to Foreman.

"I can. And I can tell you, you look pretty awful right now." Remy chuckled. Ally kissed her gently.

"No offense, but you can't talk." She retorted jokingly, then sobered. "You frightened me."

"And me." Foreman pointed out. "I think you even managed to frighten House."

Remy snorted. "That must be an achievement." She looked at each of them in turn. "I'm sorry."

Ally stroked her hair gently. "There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad you're alright." Foreman nodded in agreement.

"Me too." He murmured quietly.

**A year later**

"Damn!" coffee grounds fell through the air as the spoon trembled in her grip. Remy dropped the spoon on the counter and buried her head in her hands in frustration.

Soft arms encircled her, calming her. "Shhhh" Ally murmured in her ear. Remy rested her head on Ally's shoulder, wrapping her arms around the other woman.

"It's happening more often." Remy's voice was scared.

"I know." Ally said sadly, keeping Remy safely in her grip.

"I'm going to have to resign soon."

"Cuddy will tell you when she thinks its time."

"Yeah" Remy sighed. "She will." The older doctor had already restricted her, making sure she was only doing tasks her tremors couldn't interfere with. Luckily her mind was still intact, for now. She pulled away and wordlessly went about the task of making coffee. Successfully this time. Ally swept the floor clear of coffee grounds just as silently.

That was the way it was, between them. Remy would tremble or jerk, spill something, drop something. Ally would fix it without a word. No resentment, no making her feel like less of a person. Remy wondered what it would be like, when she could no longer dress herself or feed herself. When the chorea started to get worse. What would they do then? They would discuss it when the time came.

In the meantime, they drank their coffee on the balcony in the summer sun and talked of life in the present. The trip they were taking next weekend, what to do later tonight. Gossip about their co-workers.


	4. Prologue

**Prologue**

Ally stepped up to the podium, her eyes red, tears running freely down her cheeks. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Looking out over a gathering of their friends and co-workers, she started to speak. "There are so many wonderful things I could say about Remy, it's difficult to know where to begin." She smiled. "It is said that thirteen is an unlucky number, but when it comes to Remy, I think all of us here know they were wrong." There were a few chuckles at that. "I feel blessed to have kept my wonderful girlfriend as long as I did." Ally's voice broke, new tears falling down her cheeks. "Remy was one of the strongest people I ever knew, or ever will know. She fought this disease with everything she had, and because of that, we all had eight more years to spend in her company." Ally smiled again. "I'm going to read an excerpt from her journal, which when she could no longer write, she dictated to me so that she would never forget the life she got to live." Ally opened the little book to the last page and began to read in a quavering voice.

**Flashback**

_They sat in the sunshine in the park they had ridden to one afternoon many years before, laughing as they talked over memories from the past. Remy's head lay in Ally's lap as Ally propped herself up against the hill they were relaxing on. Remy slept intermittently, wrapped in a warm blanket to guard against chills as her body weight disappeared along with her mind. "Ally?" she questioned._

"_Mmm?" Ally ran a hand through Remy's brown locks. _

"_Will you write something down for me?" _

"_Of course." Ally took Remy's journal out of her purse and turned to the next blank page._

**Back to the Present**

"I know my time is coming to an end. I'll be sad to leave you, but feel infinitely grateful for the time I've had with you all. I'm not ready to die. I never wanted to die." Tears dripped onto the page. "I've had plenty of time to plan for this moment, morbid as it may be. I promised Ally once that I would never take my own life, no matter how bad things got, and I am still happy for that decision. To all of you, be happy. Live your lives and enjoy every moment. To Ally, thank you so much for everything you've given me, for always treating me with respect, for your infinite patience. I'll miss you, my darling."

Ally closed the book, unable to stop the sobs that escaped her, and returned to her seat. Foreman wrapped his arms around her and she sank into them gratefully. Cuddy clasped House's hand in silence, tears running down her face too. Rachel leaned against House. The others took comfort in each other. They had all had time to say their good-byes.


End file.
